{"id":50675,"date":"2019-12-10T18:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T18:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=50675"},"modified":"2022-11-01T17:28:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T00:28:14","slug":"6-rockstar-public-speakers-share-their-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/6-rockstar-public-speakers-share-their-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"6 rockstar public speakers share their tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does the thought of public speaking have you running for the hills? Or are you keen, but not sure you\u2019re up to the task? Five of our most experienced speakers share the fears they\u2019ve faced on stage, how they overcame them, and tips for nailing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us will remember our first public speaking attempts from childhood \u2013 sweaty palm cards, trembling voice, eyes looking anywhere but at the audience of our classmates. Sure, some are naturals in front of a crowd. But for most of us, public speaking is torture at worst and, on an average day, a stomach-churning exercise in character development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, at its best public speaking can be thrilling and so rewarding. Sharing a message you feel strongly about<\/a> is immensely satisfying and well worth the butterflies and sweaty palms. And the good news is, with a few tricks up your sleeve, those butterflies are toast \u2013 or at least not fluttering quite so frantically. With tips from some of Salesforce\u2019s most experienced public speakers, this is now you can kill it on stage without dying inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst fears versus the not-so-bad reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll trip walking up to the podium. I\u2019ll freeze. Everyone will laugh at me. My tech will fail. No one will get what I\u2019m saying. My talk is silly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K Yasas, Senior Director \u2013 Services, still gets anxious that the audience won\u2019t be able to relate to the presentation. His strategy for overcoming that anxiety?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep the messages simple and concise, and ask yourself what you\u2019d like the key takeaways to be for anyone listening.\u201d And for topics he\u2019s unfamiliar with? \u201cAsk a subject matter expert what is top of mind for them and use that as your basis for research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yasas’s research starts with subject matter experts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemember the session is about giving something of value to your audience,\u201d says Vince Cotte, Director GTM Marketing APAC. \u201cThink about it as contributing to a conversation \u2013 that\u2019s not something to lie awake at night about. The talk track becomes more natural and authentic then too, and the narrative will be easier to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easier said than done though, and no one is immune from the dreaded night-before-the-speech fears. We\u2019ve all been there. But thinking about what might happen is usually the worst part. When things do go wrong it\u2019s never the end of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be consumed with things that are very unlikely to happen and are probably out of your control,\u201d Lee Hawksley, Senior VP and GM of Marketing Cloud, advises. \u201cBut have a plan to take them in your stride if they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mic fail, a slide out of order, a stumble over a tricky phrase \u2013 none of these constitutes a disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing is ever perfect and I think one of the biggest skills of presenting is having the ability to work with what you have and be ready to improvise,\u201d Jess O\u2019Reilly, Regional VP for Marketing Cloud, Asia says. \u201cSometimes these are the best parts of presentations because you get the honest and vulnerable version of the presenter, not the rehearsed version \u2013 audiences really love those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jess donned Adidas merch to share the athletic brand\u2019s story of success.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And while forgetting lines used to be a worry for Megan Petersen, Director Trailhead Evangelism, she\u2019s overcome that by being ready to improvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe audience doesn\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to say,\u201d Megan explains. \u201cI spend more time coming up with ways to cope if there are technical glitches \u2013 like kicking off an audience karaoke session while the AV team sorts it out!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for the worst<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had plenty of things go wrong,\u201d says Jess. \u201cBut if you and your team have prepared for the \u2018what if\u2019 moment, then the show just goes on.\u201d Practising with and trusting your team is a great way to be ready for any bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my speech at the last World Tour, the demo didn\u2019t work and we had to switch to a recorded version of it. But we\u2019d prepared for that kind of hitch and the audience didn\u2019t even notice,\u201d Jess says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common spanners in the works at a public speaking event is timing. \u201cSchedule slippages mean your speaking slot gets adjusted and you end up with less time or more than you had prepared for,\u201d explains Yasas. \u201cKeep your prepared speech a little below the time allowed, and have a bit of extra content up your sleeve in case you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are always things outside your control,\u201d says Derek Laney, Head of Solutions and Product Marketing, Asia Pacific. \u201cOne of the most common is having a guest suddenly drop out due to missed flights or illness. I recently had a speaker pull out of an event because they needed to travel unexpectedly for a religious commitment \u2013 anything in their personal lives can become more important than work and leave you stranded if you don\u2019t have a plan B.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying in close contact with your guests in the lead up to the presentation is the best way to make sure you\u2019ll find out as early as possible if worst comes to worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSend meeting invitations and make brief calls or send text messages to check in,\u201d says Derek. \u201cYou can only do your best!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for presenting alone, having a replacement waiting in the wings and even being ready to support your co-presenter are par for the course \u2013 because even when your speaker does make it to the stage on time, nothing is ever a sure bet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my first ever keynote I was interviewing a very senior, confident person. But as soon as he got on stage, he just froze with nerves and didn\u2019t know what to say,\u201d Megan remembers. \u201cI had been really nervous too, but funnily enough, his nerves dissolved my own. I knew I had to step up and take control of the situation to help him get through it. And in the end, we both rocked it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Megan rocks the Keynote stage at World Tour Sydney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vince has had everything go wrong at presentations that can, and he\u2019s lived to tell the tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPutting yourself into a foreign environment, often run by another company, will always throw up challenges,\u201d he says. \u201cSo prepare well, know your material and be ready to deliver the presentation without AV if you have to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if something does go wrong, and you haven\u2019t had time to prepare for the worst?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t keep drawing attention to the issue or commentating on the problem,\u201d advises Derek. \u201cIf the tech fails, you become the presentation. Tell stories, start a conversation with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Megan advises thinking about whether anything is actually going wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes it can feel like something is wrong when you can\u2019t get a read on the audience,\u201d she says. \u201cBut different audiences respond in different ways. When I present in the US they applaud everything, speak up and interact, but Australian audiences tend to be a lot more reserved. So I\u2019ve learnt not to ask too many open questions or make jokes and wait for laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best parts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are good parts to public speaking? You bet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe contrast between the nerves five minutes before you start and the euphoria five minutes after you start is amazing,\u201d says Lee, whose standout public speaking moment was delivering a keynote at World Tour in Japan to launch Marketing Cloud. \u201cIt was a moment of great pride in our team and an honour for me to cap off their hard work. And I only had 48 hours\u2019 notice!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lee launches Marketing Cloud in Japan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the payback of knowing that you\u2019ve connected with someone and shared something that\u2019ll help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing better when you\u2019re presenting than to see reactions from people in the audience,\u201d says Jess. \u201cA smile, a laugh, some tears, a nod of recognition \u2013 it\u2019s incredibly rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really is incredibly rewarding to know someone has been inspired by something you spoke about,\u201d Megan agrees. \u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me recently that they saw me speak at an event and that it inspired them to get onto Trailhead and become a Ranger, or inspired them to make a change in their career. Having that kind of impact is an amazing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A highlight for Yasas too is the opportunity to spread a good idea, share knowledge or build consensus and take a collective step forward. \u201cI love receiving feedback \u2013 even if one person conveys they benefited from my presentation, it motivates me to do even better next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Vince, two months of preparation coming down to 10 minutes and 30 seconds on stage at World Tour Sydney last year was a thrill. And it was all done with a troll doll on his lapel \u2013 \u201ca small homage to my children watching the live stream at home\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vince\u2019s 10 minutes of fame were the result of months of preparation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interviewing surfer Mick Fanning for Wellness Week was another highlight. \u201cIt was a total fanboy moment for me and a privilege to have the responsibility of drawing out his story for the audience,\u201d Vince says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Derek Laney, it\u2019s the thrill of the energy created by a live audience. \u201cI find myself able to express so much more in a live format. There is something that changes in your brain when you prepare to deliver a presentation \u2013 it helps you seek clarity yourself before you communicate to others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek thrives on the drama of the unexpected and the unplanned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved hosting Salesforce’s 2018 Sydney World Tour Pitch Competition<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was unscripted, with three amazing startups presenting and three celebrity guest judges asking them tough questions \u2013 and we were giving away a large monetary investment, so the stakes were high.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end though, when scores were locked up and the judges started a pre-planned tie-breaker, the judges misinterpreted the scoring scale and the wrong team was announced as the winner. It was up to Derek to keep the energy high through multiple manual recounts of the scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a huge crowd seated in the round watching and the tension caused me to go into high energy mode,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI put a big smile on my face and kept talking, while working through the steps in my head to resolve the situation. The audience was on the edge of their seats already!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words of wisdom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n